Blender is free, and open source, but you can support it in a number of ways.

The Blender website has been reorganised and the latest version of Blender now available 2.43, for download from the Blender site link above.

Many new features added, including particle physics using a new system which can also be used in conjuction with it's own game engine.

Examples collision properties, gravity and wind pressure.
There are many tutorials on the Blender site and associated sited you can work through.

Probably Blender now can be used at a professional level and can export to several file types. It can also be used for walk through's for architectural content creation, etc.

Althouh must add whether the export as obj. file as regards textures and animation will work with the forthcoming SS5 and new Scenery Designer mentioned for later this year is anyone's guess at present, unless Stentec wish to try it out themselves and inform us.

Also the same applies to the new operating sytem windows "Vista" which I have been told does not work with the Stentec Sailing Demo, and the same "may" apply to the current Sailing Simulator, Scenery Designer and Dem Editor.
Perhaps Stentec would like to update us on the current position regarding this.

Pointless me continuing with Scenery or Content Making at present for the simulators untill Stentec give us more details, then we will have a solid basis to build on.

re 2.43 Blender it would not export vrml2 with textures so gone back to 2.42a.
If you open it with wordpad you can see the texture file name in 2.42a, but did not seem to carry them over in 2.43.
The script file in scripts folder and may have been updated.

If your version of 2.43 exports vrml2 with textures OK perhaps post.
Reformatted computer so maybe that had something to do with it.

Perhaps if somebody could confirm if UV textures (photo etc not just a colour) are exported OK on the 3D vrml2 (vrm97) from Blender using the latest version of Blender 2.43.
As mentioned I have gone back to using 2.42a instead of 2.43 as that exports vrml2 (vrm97) OK with texture.

Also need to find out what happens when exporting as obj if it carries the texture onto the obj file, but no idea if a free viewer is available anywhere.

This is a difficult forum to find information from with apparently so few people making content but any help or information would be appreciated as I only now what I discover myself or perhaps what I can gather from other forums with searches on the Internet.

I don't know mind continuing making content and sceneries for Blender and making it available for others, but it is more interesting if there is discussion around the topic as some things I just don't know and others might know the answers.

Regarding latest version of Blender 2.43 still does not seem to export vrml97 (vrml2) with texture yet 2.42a exports OK .
The texture name seems to be misssed ou when reading the vrml97 file when read with wordpad. I copied the texture 2 lines in from another file and the texture loaded but only tested on a cube.

Don't know if it's due to formatting the computer or a glitch in the script file of vrml97. Any reply would be appreciated although can still just use 2.42a instead of latest version.

Does Blender version 2.43 (latest) export textures in vrml2 (vrml97).
When opened with Object Editor, just colours no texture, and if you open s3d or buoy file with wordpad the texture name details seem to be omitted. At least on my computer.

The previous version works OK. 2.42a.

It looks as if all the crews have deserted ships in the Stentec sail and m/b forums now. Maybe everyone has won the lottery and gone away on world cruises?

Hello Ralf.... just started trying your method of one large 3D model made up of different items for Liverpool docks set it 1801 as mentioned in other thread. Seems to work OK for your port in your last scenery and I think thats the best method maybe now, at least for flat areas around the coast and easier to place a whole port even if we get a new scenery designer.

Think I will convert all my textures to tga instead of bmp as either will work, also I can use tgatools2 for 32 bit texures for SS5 if need be.

The collision properties no longer seems to work for me when I tried the large sphere method a few weeks ago (not needed for the motorboat simulator only for ss), but it does make a big difference to the realism with "solid" quays that you can bump into and, I can always use the collision "strips" I made a while ago to go on with.

Be glad when I get a new computer as will take me a few weeks to find out what will work with it.

Getting too many eror notices with Blender to continue making ports as one complete item. That is using the append function with textures to make seperate 3D content as one item, so back to single items or small groups.

Only hope the next scenery designer and dem editor for ss5, is more user friendly to allow you to correct heights and depths without losing all the placed content and having to start again!

Converting my bmp textures to tga and making some of my quays a bit more seamless, so again if Stentec knows perhaps they could confirm if tga and bmp still OK for textures in ss5.

Will work through my content, about 200 of them, as several were made a few years back and some can be improved and see what else I can add.

Hi Barry,
what kind of error msg are you getting? From Blender or from Object Editor?

I detected thet Blender is extending the file names with numbers in case that you are using the same texture files twice: e.g. xyz.bmp will be extended to xyz.bmp.001. When you open that file with the Object editor you will get an error message that this file type is not allowed.

Mainly the texture problems as using the same texture with the same name for a variety of quay shapes.

Perhaps it doesn't like using same name textures?
I think from Object editor mainly but Blender won't let me open the file occasionally.
Never been sure of this side of things over a few years now.
I could try renaming the textures and they seem to go back on OK Alt plus Z.
Also changing them all to tga as they were a mix of tga and bmp.
I use Irfanview to change them.

Incidentally to get a smooth texture appearance Key U over the mesh window with UV image window open and "project from view" gives an image the shape of object if you highlight all, F then A first, but you probably know.

Hello Barry,
It sounds to me that the problems are in Blender but different as expected in my post before. In my experience Blender is organizing douple textures correctly.
The only problem I had in the past was that some bmp where not shown correctly (they were twisted and black/white only). I started to use jpg instead and have never problems. But I never tried tga.

I have renamed the same single texture for each different quay, so each file texture name now different although just the same texture, and no more error notices so far when using the append function. Just that it increases the final size of the scenery expecially if uploading to website.

I think most people use tga for making content and I used to use tga files when I used gmax to make content for the Trainz train simulator but bmp also OK though for stentec sim.
I am gradually changing all mine to tga, but easy to convert with a few mouse clicks with Irfanview.

If you get around to using the last version of Blender 2.43 could you see if it exports the texture on the item for vrml2 (vrml97). It will export a basic colour but not managed to put an image on any content even a cube won't texture so far.

To avoid larger size of the final object due to douple textures of same content you can reassign the texture back to the first texture within Blender after successfully appending.

I am working this way when I use my "house assembly kit". In the beginnig they all had the same texture. After detecting this problem I have assigned a different texture to each. After appendig them to a bigger object I am flexible again to assign each possible texture.